Weather eye: danger of the sun’s UV rays

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Aerosol gases were altered following the Montreal ProtocolLehtikuva OY / Rex Features

Paul Simons

Published at 12:01AM, April 17 2014

The strong sunshine over recent days has packed quite a punch with ultraviolet (UV) rays, partly thanks to thinning of the ozone in the stratosphere over the UK about 20km (12 miles) high (News, Apr 14). This depleted ozone problem only lasts a short time but is enough to boost UV levels to something typical of the middle of June.

Ozone itself is a colourless gas with a strange odour, and its name comes from ozein, the Greek word for smell. The crucial thing about ozone in the stratosphere is that it shields us from the onslaught of the sun’s